She was at the Noodle House
by dickard23
Summary: One year after the war, Azula escaped from the asylum. Five years after the war, her husband has to explain to Zuko why she never came home. Apparently, she was making noodles, and they were really good.
1. Chapter 1

**Present Day 105 AG**

Aang knew he was in trouble. He just wasn't sure how much. His friends had every right to be upset with them. He had misled them for the past three years, but he had no regrets. He was in love and love was always worth it.

Even now, he still didn't live up to his end of the agreement. He said he would bring her back to the palace, but he didn't. Instead, he brought a different princess.

He carried his daughter in his arms. Mai was with him to help make sure he didn't get too beat up. He would get at least a little beat up, but she wanted him able to walk out of the room without assistance. She had their son with them baby Tenzin.

The guards quickly ushered them to the Fire Lord's office. "You were supposed to bring Azula and her husband," Zuko said immediately.

"I know, and I was going to but …"

"She's on bed rest," Mai said.

"What?"

"The doctor said she cannot travel until she delivers."

"She's pregnant, again?"

"Yes, with twins. Ty Lee is with her in case anything happens while we're away."

"This is our daughter," Aang said proudly, "Princess Gaia."

Zuko frowned. He just realized Aang was her husband. Zuko picked up the baby. She was a little over a year old. She looked like her mother, but she had her father's eyes. She would be an airbender someday. She was Aang's first child. Ty Lee had Bumi a couple months later and Tenzin was born two weeks after that. He had three airbending children and he might have a fourth one. At least one of Azula's twins was a firebender. The other was unclear.

"How far along is she?"

"Azula's at almost seven months."

Katara entered the room. "There you are. I ought to just wring your little …."

"Katara please," Zuko said. "If anyone beats him up, it will be me." He turned to Aang. "Do you have any idea how long I searched for her, how much money I spent?"

"I didn't mean for this to happen."

"What did you mean for?" the Fire Lady screamed at him.

"I just wanted to do the right thing. When I found your sister, she had changed. I didn't want to rock the boat."

**102AG**

Aang had been sent to look for Azula the year before, when she escaped. He looked high and low but never found her. Eventually, he had to deal with more pressing matters. The year had been a long one for him. Hakoda had been on his case about marriage.

"Katara has been of marrying age for two years," he told the boy.

"We've only been together for two years."

"There are lots of other suitors who would like her hand if you aren't interested."

"I'm not going to rush into a marriage just to get rid of some suitors. If she doesn't like them, she can say it to their faces."

Aang had plenty of other arguments as well. Some of the other poltiicans were concerned that he would not produce enough airbenders if he married Katara. "They might be waterbenders or nonbenders."

"That's going to be true with every women, since I can't marry an airbender."

"It's why you should have multiple wives, or a harem."

The idea disgusted him. The prospect traumatized Katara. She started to panic. _What if he leaves me because I can't produce airbenders? What if I become barren?_ She started getting ulcers from the stress and they weren't even engaged yet. Finally Aang said, "We need to break up, Tara."

"What did I do wrong?"

"Nothing, but this isn't fair to you. You should be excited about the idea of getting married someday, but instead, you are terrified. I want you to be happy, not making yourself sick with worry that you won't produce airbenders. You need a man who can give you a more stable life than that. Unfortunately, I can't." He kissed her goodbye.

After their breakup, he wrote to Zuko.

* * *

Dear Zuko,

I am writing to you because I broke up with Katara. She was great, but it wasn't fair to her, having to stress all the time about producing airbenders, that is my job, not hers.

I'm also not home enough, constantly travelling to quell rebellions. She'd have to raise all of the airbenders alone. I think she needs more than I can give her, which is why I'm sending this to you.

From what I hear, you haven't dated since Mai dumped you well over a year ago. I think it's time you get back on the ostrich horse, and I think you and Katara could be good for each other.

Sure you will need an heir, but only one heir, not a gaggle of children. You also won't have to travel as much and will likely be a better husband for her than I could have been.

Just a thought,

Aang.

* * *

He sent the letter and decided to go on vacation to Ember Island.

When he got there, he got his usual warm greeting from fans and then he saw this long line going around the block.

"What is this?" he asked one of the customers.

"Only the best ramen ever."

"What makes it the best?"

"They make everything in house, the stock, the noodles. They even roast the meat all morning so it's fresh when they put it in the soup."

Aang got in line and got a bowl. He was surprised to see Ty Lee at the counter.

"Hey Ty Lee! What are you doing here?"

"Selling ramen. Do you want a vegetarian bowl?"

"Yes please."

Mai got the bowl ready. She liked not being at the counter, so she didn't have to talk to people.

"Is that you Mai?" Aang asked.

"Yep. I decided I didn't want to be Fire Lady because I would rather sell ramen."

"Oh hush!" Ty Lee laughed. "This is our restaurant."

"You own it. That's great."

"Yeah, sunny weather, lots of customers. I can't complain too much," Mai said dryly.

Aang got his bowl and it was delicious. "How do you make the noodles?"

"That's a secret," Ty Lee said.

"I can't know?"

"Nope!"

**Present**

"I was determined to know how they made the noodles, so that night, I staked out the restaurant."

**102AG**

A hooded figure came and started making the noodles, mixing the dough, resting it, and forming it in batches, twisting, pulling, and slamming them until they got the right shape and size. She would hang them to dry and then leave.

"I tried to ask her how she did it, but she ran away."

Of course, Aang came back the next day and instead of approaching, he followed the cook home, just to discover, Azula has been making ramen.

He knocked on the door; she bolted into the attic. Ty Lee answered. "Aang?"

"I know she's here. I followed her from the noodle house."

Ty Lee begged him to stay quiet. "She's really changed. She just wants to have a new life."

"Why didn't she just talk to her brother?" He had been looking for a year.

"If you had seen how they treated her in there, you would know why she didn't talk to him."

"When they found her," Aang said, "she had been chained to a wall, no food, no water, and it was summer."

It had been her punishment for refusing to answer the warden's questions.

"Why would they do that?" Katara questioned.

Mai answered. "After about 10 months, Azula got her sanity back. She realized how wrong she had been and wanted to try and make it right."

**101AG**

Azula was cold and hungry, but most importantly, she was sad. She remembered what her life had been like before her father had ruined it for her, playing games with her brother, exploring the city with Mai and Ty Lee. She always wanted to have a house with her two best friends by the sea, before power corrupted her.

When she was 13, she had been declared a woman, and had received all kinds of cash and properties from other nobles. She used her proceeds to buy properties at Ember Island, beachfront houses with access to a private beach. She dreamed that she and her friends would live there, but now it was just a memory.

**Present**

"She sent letter to me and Ty Lee apologizing for what she had done and offered us the houses to live in," Mai told them. "She wanted us to live out her dream for her. I thought it was too good to be true, but she had put the houses in our name. She wanted us to have them, so Ty Lee and I moved in. It was great at first, fresh food all the time, lounging at the beach, boys would flirt with us, but it wasn't the same without our fiery leader. We decided to go visit her only to hear…"

**101 AG**

"She is not allowed visitors."

"Says who?"

"Says me."

"Is this an order from the Crown?"

"That is none of your business."

**Present**

"That night, we snuck in so we could see her, and it was horrible. She had been chained up all day. She was so dehydrated that she thought we were mirages. We had to get her out of there, so we broke her out and left."

"You just took her on a whim?" Zuko questioned.

"Yeah. We needed the tools to sneak in, but it wasn't until we got there that we decided to take her with us. We got her back to Ember Island and got her some water. She had to rest for a day before she could talk to us."

**101 AG**

"You guys saved me."

"Of course," Ty Lee said.

"Why did they do that to you?"

Azula explained. "I had to send a lot of letters to get the houses put in your name. A guard was nice enough to smuggle them out for me. Someone snitched on me and I refused to name the guard. They were punishing me until I would talk."

"Who was the guard?" Ty Lee asked.

"Do you remember Chin? He was Zuko's friend in school. He was the only person there who was nice to me. He helped me see how wrong I had been."

**Present**

"We hid her from you," Mai told Zuko. "When your men searched one house, she was in the other and then we moved her again. Once you left, we opened the noodle house, really to give us something to do and to explain how we made our money. Azula had enough for us to live on, but it would look weird if we did nothing all day."

Aang went next, "I heard the story and didn't know what to do. You expected me to bring her in, but she just wanted to have a chance at a good life. I gave you a second chance, so I decided to give her one too."

**102 AG**

"But if she causes an iota of trouble, I'll have to come back here."

"She won't," Ty Lee insisted.

"I left and didn't hear of any trouble, well none from her. I went on to fight rebellions and do other stuff and I would occasionally stop by. I would always get extra noodles."

Aang had been getting more pressure to find women and start producing airbenders. Men were offering their daughters as if they were tokens. He was dodging them left and right.

**Present**

"I went to the Ember Island to escape the commotion, and Azula offered the house they weren't living in."

"We all decided to stay in the other house house," Mai told them.

"I went to their house pretty much every day. Azula always had something cooking. Ty Lee gave those great chi messages. Mai was helping me with strategizing for the work I had to get to when I returned home.

I came back to the house one night and I overheard an argument."

**102AG**

"I want to go for him," Ty Lee said.

"He's mine," Azula insisted.

"You shot him, "Mai countered.

"I marked him as mine," Azula said. "First possession."

"Katara interrupted that possession," Mai continued.

"She was a squatter."

"Why can't we just share him?" Ty Lee said.

"What?" Azula and Mai said at once.

"Well, he needs to make airbenders, and we all live together anyway. We'd have each other, so we wouldn't have to raise our kids alone and it's not like we don't have fun together anyhow."

Aang blushed when he heard that.

"Azula's horrible at sharing," Mai said.

"You're no better. You tried to stab me for eating your cake."

"You would have shot me with lightening if I had eaten yours."

Azula pursed her lips. "Ty Lee might be onto something. Even if one of us won out, we'd have to share him with the world. What difference does it make if we share him with each other?"

"If anything, he might vacation here all the time."

"So it's agreed." Ty Lee went to tell Aang their proposal before the other girls could actually confirm.

"I get to try him first," Azula grabbed his collar and pulled him into her bedroom.

"I get next," Ty Lee called.

Mai grumbled. "Why do I have to go last?"

**Present**

"Anyway, it all worked out and Aang came to visit us when he wasn't stuck at work."

"I fell in love with all of them and before I knew it …"

**103 AG**

"I'm pregnant," Azula told him when he got to the house again.

"Me too," Ty Lee told him.

Mai came out of the bathroom. "Me three."

Aang fainted but when he came to, "this is so awesome. I'm going to be a dad, three times!"

**Present**

"I wanted to tell you then, but you were stressed out over that stupid rebellion Mai's father started and there was the fighting in Republic City. I just kept putting it off. I wanted to tell you before the wedding, but …"

**104 AG**

Aang brought Ty Lee as his date to the wedding.

"Glad you could make it," Zuko said as he hugged him. "I didn't know you were with Ty Lee."

"We eloped," Aang said quietly.

"What? The next thing you're going to say is you have a kid."

"Actually I do, Bumi II. He's an airbender."

"That's awesome."

"Have you thought about your sister?"

"Oh not her. Katara's convinced she's going to crash the wedding with an army. Do not utter her name. Oh look, a jello mold!"

Zuko ran off.

**Present**

"I just ended up putting it off again," and Aang would have gotten away with it if it weren't for Toph.

**Three weeks ago**

"How has no one seen her in four years?" Zuko demanded to know. He and Katara wanted to have children, but she was paranoid over Azula.

Sokka shrugged. So did Suki and Toph, but Aang's heart was racing.

"What is it Twinkles?"

"Nothing!" he lied.

Toph trapped him in rock. "Out with it."

"I don't have anything to say."

She stayed on his case for thirty minutes until finally he said. "Okay I saw her."

"WHAT?"

"She was married and had a son. She wasn't out to cause any trouble."

"What has she been doing all this time?" Toph demanded to know.

"She was working at a restaurant, but now she's on maternity leave."

"What if she's making heirs to usurp my rule?"

"She isn't trying to usurp anything, I swear."

"You swear. How long have you known where she was?"

"Three years,"Aang mumbled.

"What?"

"Three years okay."

"You knew before my wedding and you didn't tell me. Katara was going crazy."

"She is crazy," he snapped.

"Drama!" Toph hissed.

"Azula is a good person now."

"If that's true, then she'll turn herself in. Deliver her Aang and her husband too!"

**Present**

"You know why I didn't deliver her, but here I am."

Zuko frowned. "I should have known Mai and Ty Lee had Azula, but you Aang, what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking how great was it to have my family out of the limelight. Left and right everyone was asking when I would get married. Girls would throw themselves at me. Their fathers would try to talk me into marrying them.

It's bad enough having the world trying to interfere with my personal life because I'm the avatar, I didn't want them to have to deal with it too. My kids would become instant celebrities when they have the right to just be normal."

"So you have three wives, one of whom is my sister and three kids soon to be five kids."

"Yes."

"You are out of your mind."

Aang was happy. He loved his children, and they each had three mothers who loved them just the same.

Katara was still in too much shock to say anything else. He was married to the three women who almost killed him during the war, and they were all sharing him?

"What?" was all she got out of her mouth.

"She's a good mother. They all are, and our kids are so great."

Zuko sighed. "Well, I can hardly go after a pregnant woman, but we will need to talk, face to face, after she goes into delivery."

"You're the best Zuko."

"Not so fast."

"There's still the matter of you defiling my sister and engaging in this debauchery."

Aang and Mai left the palace.

"He didn't hit you that hard."

"Yeah, I didn't crack any teeth, so I would say he showed restraint."

He had a busted lip, but it would heal. They headed back to Ember Island to their awaiting wives.

"I still can't believe he married her," Zuko said to his wife.

"What?"


	2. Chapter 2

**3 and a half months later, 105AG**

Aang was on the way to the palace with his wife. She was nervous. She hadn't been to the Palace in almost five years.

They had their twins with them, Prince Roku and Princess Ta Min. They were one month old.

"I really don't want to do this," Azula told him.

"I don't either. Zuko won't punch you."

"That's what you think."

**Three and a half months ago.**

Aang came home with a busted lip. Ty Lee started fussing over him. "How could he hurt you?"

"I did lie to him for like three years. I think we're even."

"You came back," Azula said.

"Of course I came back."

"I thought you might have been murdered by your crazy ex-girlfriend."

"Katara wouldn't kill me."

"Even though you're sleeping with her worst enemy, and her two best friends."

"Even then, although she was pretty hysterical." Aang kissed his wife's face.

"I'm just glad you both home. Will you stay in bed with me tonight?"

"Of course." She was still in the phase of her pregnancy where she was horny all the time.

**Present**

"The last time you came back from the palace, we had lots of sex."

"Yes we did," Aang grinned as he remembered it.

"Can we skip this visit and go straight to the sex?"

He started to consider it. "You aren't healed yet and … we're not skipping this visit."

"Why not? Zuzu hasn't looked very hard if he couldn't find me down the street from our childhood vacation home."

"Don't remind him. He feels dumb for not figuring it out sooner."

"You mean when Toph forced it out of your mouth. He didn't figure out anything."

Aang silenced her with a kiss.

In the Palace, Zuko was having his own concerns. What the heck do I do with her? She's married and Aang swears she's not a threat, but Katara's gone mad, convinced Azula's going to do something crazy. He felt caught between his best friend and sister on one side and his wife on the other, not to mention his own peace of mind.

He asked Iroh what to do.

**One Month Ago**

"Let me get this right, Azula married Aang, along with Mai and Ty Lee and the four of them are repopulating the airbenders together."

"Basically."

"Well, she's helping fix the damage the Fire Nation caused. Why not leave her to it?"

"What?"

"It's not uncommon for the winner of a war to marry the princess from the losing nation."

"She's not a war trophy."

"She isn't. It kind of sounds that way."

"Aah!"

**Present**

Needless to say, Zuko didn't find that conversation helpful.

Katara came out. "Are they here yet?"

"No. He didn't say exactly what time today they were coming."

"I still can't believe he just didn't say he found her for three years."

"I kind of can."

"What?"

"He's Aang. He wants everyone to be happy and he saw her happy with Mai and Ty Lee, so he didn't say anything."

"Out of all of the stupid and ridiculous things …"

"Are you talking about your dated dress?" Azula said as they walked inside, their children in tow.

"What?" she shrieked.

"Has she seriously done nothing with that hair in five years? I can't believe the Fire Lady still looks like a peasant."

"Azula be nice."

"I don't know how." She looked to her brother. "Zuko, how nice of you to extend an invitation to your humble sister." She looked around. "Where's dinner?"

He looked at her. "This isn't a dinner party."

"I just had twins. You do realize I'm always hungry. May we present to you Prince Roku and Princess Ta Min?"

Roku was a firebender, but Ta Min was an airbender. Zuko held Roku first. He looked like Aang except for his gold eyes. "He's a firebender."

"Well not yet. He is just a month old."

Zuko glared at his sister.

Ta Min looked like Azula except for her grey eyes. "She's very pretty."

"Of course she is. She looks like me."

"How have you been?" Aang offered.

"Fine," Zuko said.

"Fine?" Katara yelled.

"Is she alright?" Azula questioned before Katara could go off on her rant. "What's wrong with her?"

"What's wrong with you? You killed him and then you married him. Aang, what were you thinking. I'll procreate with the three deadliest women alive?"

"Well if he wanted his children to be safe while he was away, it was the smartest option," Zuko pointed out.

Katara glared at him.

"Oops."

"I don't know how else to say it. I love her and our life works for us."

"So what are you going to do with your life?" Zuko questioned.

"Well, I have five children," Azula said. "I think I'm too busy to plan a coup."

"I thought you only had three."

"We're raising all of them together."

"So your children have three mothers?"

"Isn't the mantra, mother always knows best? Well our kids will know extra well."

"Where are Mai and Ty Lee?"

"At home with our Gaia, Bumi and Tenzin."

Roku started to fuss.

Azula started to nurse him.

"Put that away!" Zuko yelled at her.

"What? He's hungry."

"I don't want to see…"

"It's just a breast. This is what they are for, regardless of how much you like sucking on your wife's teats."

"Do not call them teats," Zuko hissed.

"Sorry, utters whatever."

"I am not a cow pig!"

"Can't you put a blanket over yourself or something?"

"Do you put a blanket on your head when you eat?"

Zuko shook his head. "Tell me you don't do that in public."

"If they're hungry."

She had to switch and feed Ta Min.

Zuko just looked down until he was done.

"Are you going to make a scene when Katara's got suckers on her?"

Katara was too appalled to answer. Zuko just grunted.

The Head Sage snuck into the room to fawn over the new royalty. "Oh they're so cute. Ta Min looks just like her mother and is going to be an excellent airbender." He picked up Roku next, "oh he's going to be quite the firebender." The sage thought he could feel a blue flame.

Katara frowned.

Azula said, "well, now you've seen them." She turned to her husband. "Can we go home now if they're not going to feed us?"

"You're not going anywhere," Zuko told her.

"Fine." Azula rang the bell. "I'm going to need a seared turtle duck breast, some rice and some pine carrots. What do you want Aang?"

"Can I get the tofu stir fry and a fruit tart?"

"Of course."

"So why am I still here again?" She questioned her brother.

"What do you think I should do about this?"

"Do nothing, like you have for the past five years."

"You can't be serious," Katara said.

"Why not? It's not like any of Ozai's old supporters would approve of Aang as Fire Lady or want the Crown family to be a bunch of airbenders. I'm probably more of a disgrace to them than you are, hard as that is to imagine."

"So I should just act like I don't know where you are?"

"Why not? It's not like anyone else has come looking for me. We can go right back to the way things were."

When the food arrived, Azula handed off her children to Zuko and Katara so she could eat.

"Now when are you going to make an heir?" Azula questioned.

"This isn't about me."

"Isn't it? You're all concerned about your crown, and without an heir, you're an easy target. I assume Katara is fertile."

"Yes I'm fertile."

"Then what are you waiting for?"

She didn't know anymore. She had been worried that Azula would come back just to attack her while she was pregnant, but obviously, she had other things to do with her time.

* * *

While Azula and Aang were at the palace, Ty Lee was chasing around Bumi who had managed to put a rock in his mouth. She grabbed his foot, swinging him upside down as the rock fell out. He whined as she kicked it away from him.

"Why does he keep trying to put rocks in his mouth?"

"Maybe he thinks he's a chicken," Mai remarked.

Ty Lee rolled her eyes and handed him to Mai.

Gaia and Tenzin were fighting over a toy, tugging it back and forth between the two.

"If you don't play nice, I'll take it away," Ty Lee warned them.

Gaia bopped her brother and took the toy.

Ty Lee took it from both of them and they both started crying.

"I warned you!"

"Just give it back," Mai told them.

"But they were fighting over it."

"That's how they play with the toy."

Ty Lee reluctantly returned it and sure enough, they tugged back and forth until they got bored and went to do something else.

"How do you think they're doing?" the acrobat asked her wife.

"Azula's probably eating. Zuko's probably panicking because he doesn't actually have a plan. Katara's probably yelling and Aang is hoping that he doesn't get punched again."

* * *

Azula ordered chocolate cake for dessert. She was hoping they could just leave tonight. Maybe she'd say she was going to change their diapers and then just jump on Appa and go.

"Why don't you come visit us?" Aang suggested.

"Are you crazy?" Azula and Zuko both said at the same time.

"Then you'll see how well we're doing."

"How are we going to fit them in our house?"

"Can't they stay in our other house?"

"I guess."

"Wait, all 9 of you live in one house?"

"It's more like 8.5 since Aang travels so much."

"I'm restoring the Southern Air Temple and thought we could move in when our children started learning to airbend."

"At your rate, you are going to have a full temple," Katara retorted.

Zuko shook his head. How did his sister, his ex-girlfriend and their best friend all end up with Aang? The boy had literally no game. Girls would throw themselves at him left and right and he'd run away. Maybe he couldn't outrun Azula.

Just when Azula was going to see if she could make her escape, her uncle appeared.

"Azula, Aang, funny seeing you two here."

"You mean Zuzu didn't tell you I was coming?"

"Don't call me that!"

"He mentioned it, but he didn't say when. Are those my niece and nephew?"

"No, I got them from the flea market."

"Azula," Aang chided. "Meet Princess Ta Min and Prince Roku."

Iroh picked up the princess first. "She looks just like her mother, and she's going to be an airbender."

The baby yawned.

"Your brother looks just like his father, and he's going to be a firebender."

Roku burped.

"You have lovely children. I understand you have an older daughter?"

"Gaia, and I have two sons. We're raising all of the children together."

"Isn't that nice? They'll all be one big, happy family."

"Can you tell Zuzu to let me go home now?"

"Don't call me that!"

"Zuko, maybe it's time for you to take a breath. I understand you were stressed before, but I hardly think she's going to try to start a coup with a gaggle of babies."

"You never know," Katara mumbled.

"I suppose you're right," Zuko said with a sigh. "But I would like to see my nieces and nephews more often."

"That can be arranged," Azula said noncommittally.

"The summer is the best time to visit because they have bonfires and all day barbeques on the island," Aang said excitedly.

They made somewhat vague arrangements to come back with the whole family in the winter and for Zuko and Katara to visit in the summer.

After letting Iroh fawn over the babies some more, Aang and Azula headed home.

"Thank Agni, I was ready to try and sneak out."

"What was the plan?"

"To say they needed a diaper change and then just get on Appa and fly away."

"What about me?"

"You snooze, you lose."

He airbended his wife onto Appa and then jumped aboard. "Yip Yip!"

"The more I learn," Zuko said, "the more bizarre it seems. I just can't see Azula as a mother or one five times."

"They have how many airbenders?" Iroh asked.

"Four all together," Zuko said.

"In less than two years. That's impressive."

"Don't remind me." EW!

"Will I be getting any more nieces or nephews soon?" Iroh questioned.

Katara wigged out. "It takes time okay!"

Iroh backed off quickly.

The babies were all asleep when Azula and Aang got back.

"They're perfect when they're asleep," Azula said as she gave each one a kiss on the head.

They went upstairs where Mai and Ty Lee were in bed asleep. Azula gave them each a kiss on the forehead. "We're home."

"How did it go?" Mai mumbled.

"Dry and boring, like my brother. Goodnight."

Azula and Aang took the bed in the other bedroom. They would all rotate and technically, this was Ty Lee's night with Aang, but she didn't want to go to bed by herself, so she went to sleep with Mai.

"It could have gone worse," Aang said as they got ready for bed.

"How?" She had almost been bored to death.


End file.
